John Common

Who is John Common?

John Common is an songwriter, musician and singer based in Denver, Colorado.

Born in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Common spent most of his youth in Pensacola, Florida. When he was thirteen years old, Common found his older brother's Epiphone acoustic guitar in a closet and began writing songs. While in Pensacola, Common founded and fronted the psychedelic roots rock band Bunkhouse Jones. Bunkhouse Jones released two records and toured clubs and small venues in the South. After finishing school, he traveled around the country to New York City, Boston, Atlanta, Burlington, and other towns writing, busking, playing shows and making lo-fi recordings. After a stint working on a small family farm in Denmark, Kansas, he made his way to Colorado.

As the singer, songwriter and guitarist for the Denver-based roots rock/alt-country band Rainville, he built a reputation for writing gritty, honest songs. Rainville released two albums to critical acclaim nationally and in Europe, and toured from 1999 to 2004.

Common began exploring different musical and lyrical territory in 2005. This new creative direction surfaced on Good To Be Born and Why Birds Fly – the first two records released under his name on Free School Records in 2006 and 2007 respectively. He is releasing a new record entitled Beautiful Empty under the name John Common and Blinding Flashes of Light in 2011.